Knicks' Phil Jackson fined $25K

Sources said Jackson was fined specifically for statements he made at a news conference last week about possibly hiring Fisher as Knicks coach.

The league's 30 teams were notified of the fine by league memo Monday afternoon, the sources said.

Among the reasons the league took this step, sources said, was to reinforce its annual reminders to teams of the league's anti-tampering rules, which prohibit teams from direct or indirect expressions of interest in other teams' impending free agents.